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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24504691">Throat Loosening, Arms Tightening</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/InterstellarVagabond/pseuds/InterstellarVagabond'>InterstellarVagabond</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>ADHD, Anxiety, Can be seen as romantic or platonic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Post-Game(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:20:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,425</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24504691</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/InterstellarVagabond/pseuds/InterstellarVagabond</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kazuichi is almost grateful the panic attack hits while he's alone, because he hates to be seen like this. Still, when Akane shows up it helps him breathe a whole lot easier.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Owari Akane &amp; Soda Kazuichi, Owari Akane/Soda Kazuichi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>82</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Throat Loosening, Arms Tightening</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>no surprise my panic attacks have been hitting hard again with the... everything right now, so I'm back to venting and projecting with fictional characters</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Kazuichi clutched at his chest as he felt his throat tightening. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was alone in his workshop when it hit, the sudden panic attack that convinced his brain that he was choking on his own throat. He’d dropped the screwdriver in his hand as he gasped suddenly for air, and now he was pacing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pacing, and swaying, flapping his hands, spinning, bobbing his head, anything he could do to keep moving because so long as he kept moving the panic stayed at the edges of his mind only threatening to kill him and not actually doing it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit… shit shit shit, what even happened? What did this? Well…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t take a genius, or someone not experiencing a panic attack, to figure it out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in a week and the energy drink cans were piling up in the trash can, and though he knew how bad the lack of sleep and influx of caffeine affected his anxiety his ADHD demanded he stay busy and fend off the boredom and keep stimulants in his brain. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sure, he knew the cause and he knew why the cause had happened, he knew the temporary treatment, but as for the cure…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>… he expected to be here for hours now, stuck in this mindset.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He started filling his brain up to distract himself, working out the blueprint in his head and continuing what he had been working on within his mind (his hands were shaking too bad to actually keep doing it).</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was a quarter of the way to stable when a voice startled him back into adrenaline. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Kaz, you in here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hnh?” He whipped around, his braid hitting his cheek, to see Akane entering and looking around curiously. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her eyes landed on him and immediately filled with confusion. He froze, shoving his hands into his pockets and trying to quiet his hyperventilating. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Amazing. Which scares me more? The panic attack or the idea of people thinking I’m nuts?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You okay, man?” she asked, approaching slowly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, whatcha need?” he said too fast. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just noticed you weren’t at dinner. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Again</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Came to find you.” she drew closer, looking doubtful at his insistence that he was fine. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I already ate,” he lied, heart pounding. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey… look at me, man.” she reached for him but then paused. “S’it okay if I touch you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“S-sure?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She cupped his face gently, guiding it so he met her gaze. She frowned, seeing the fear in his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t have to pretend for me, got it?” she said. “We’ve seen people go through this before, you never wanted them to pretend, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s different,” Kazuichi argued. “When Hajime panics… he’s got reason, and he starts meditating and-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And when I panic it’s half random and I start kicking walls till I break a toe,” she snorted. “No one expects you to be Hajime. At this point no one can be Hajime with all that talent shoved into his brain.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Normally he would have laughed, but right now he just closed his eyes and covered his mouth with both hands. She pulled hers away to give him room, and one of the hands on his mouth lifted up to tug at his hair. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can I try something?” she asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure…” he whispered, barely paying attention now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She wrapped her arms around him and lifted him off the ground. For a moment he yelped and wiggled in her arms, but then she squeezed him in the tightest bear hug he’d ever received. He sat there, breathing erratic, until slowly the sensation of her arms pressing hard against him started to make him feel almost calm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Deep pressure, coach taught me that.” she grinned. “How d’you feel?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Crushed,” he joked weakly. “But don’t stop.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He realized only now that he’d started crying at some point, the last few tears dripping down his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“... aren’t your arms tired?” he asked after a few minutes had passed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Holding a scrawny twig like you? No.” she snorted. “Maybe if you made it to meals once in a while I’d have some trouble, but right now you’ve made things too damn easy for me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t really… have time to eat,” he sighed, knowing that wasn’t entirely true. She raised an eyebrow at the statement so he amended it. “I don’t give myself time to eat, I get all hyperfocused and just gotta keep going, alright?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then I’ll just bring you food next time.” she shrugged. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re kinda pushy, you know that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can always squeeze harder, I bet your ribs being so visible means they’ll snap easier.” He yelped again and she gave an apologetic and sheepish look. “Sorry, body talk not good?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please for the love of God don’t remind me of how fucking mortal I am and how easy I can get hurt.” he closed his eyes around visions of corpses and self amputations. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, I won’t.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She moved to sit down with her back to the wall, arranging him in her lap as she kept holding him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His throat was starting to feel less tight, more like there was just a lump in it. He wondered if he was imagining it or if his anxiety had actually caused one. Sitting there thinking about it caused him to fall back into panic a few short times, gasping for breath or twitching. Each time Akane would tighten her arms and tuck his head under her chin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally he felt it pass.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He felt exhausted too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck…” he went somewhat limp and she loosened her grip so he could pull away if he wanted to. “That was… the worst.” he yawned loudly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is, yeah,” she agreed quietly. “You… you weren’t going to come get help, were you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Course not.” he shook his head like the idea was ridiculous, knowing full well it was him that was ridiculous. “I can’t believe I let you see me like that…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Next time, I’ll be there if you need me, okay?” she rubbed his back in slow circles. “Call me on that janky cellphone you and Hajime put together, I’ll come running.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you run damn fast,” he laughed quietly. “Thanks, Akane.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course, grease monkey.” she grabbed his beanie and ruffled his hair ruthlessly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… might still puke,” he groaned. “My body feels like hot garbage… ugh.” he felt the panic rising again and she squeezed his shoulder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s try to get you some food and some sleep, okay?” she said. “Your body basically just ran a marathon, it needs care. Plus, unconscious men have no panic attacks.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just knock me out,” he agreed with a weak laugh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She helped him to his feet and guided him out of the workshop.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The dining hall was quiet, a far cry from the chaos they’d experienced in the simulation. He figured once everyone was awake it would go back to that same chaos. Of course, it also helped that he’d missed the rush hour as it were. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akane loaded him up a plate that was probably four times more than he could handle and sat him down at a table in the corner of the room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He ate slowly, not sure if he was going to be able to keep the food down and too tired to really feel how hungry he was. Once she’d deemed the amount he’d eaten acceptable, she walked him back to his cottage.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Get some rest, okay?” she said as they lingered in front of the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“... Akane?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“... I really don’t want to be alone again. Not right now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She smiled proudly. “Then you won’t be.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y-you can go in a bit, I just need a bit-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kazuichi, it’s fine. You’re not causing me any trouble, I didn’t have any plans for the rest of the day anyway.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He nodded and opened the door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was some shouting and blushing when she didn’t understand why he wanted her to turn around while he changed into pajamas, but other than that he got into bed quietly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sat at the foot of the bed, looking away from him and wrapping some of her hair around her finger. “Night, Kaz.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Night, Akane…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The lump in his throat was still growing smaller little by little, and he kept yawning as his body tried to work out all the wrong ways he’d been breathing. Despite it all he actually managed to get some sleep, and when he woke up there was breakfast waiting for him on the nightstand and plenty of air in his lungs.</span>
</p>
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